Brake table with chair operator



Jan. 27, 1942. F. c. HANNA BRAKE TABLE WITH CHAIR OPERATOR Filed Feb. 8, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 27, 1942. F. c. HANNA BRAKE TABLE WITH CHAIR OPERATOR 2 sheet 2 Filed 1941 .SVWW.

1 4v 4 7 W v 2 a ,7 8 f 2 2 lz K; z x a 76 I m {MW/L6 z 2 2 a n/ I r/ J /n 7 W M z i a 5" M film Patented Jan. 27, 1942 UNITED STATES BRAKE TABLE WITH CHAIR OPERATOR v Flem Cortis Hanna, Charleston, W. Va.

Application February 8,1941, Serial No. 378,075

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a table and chair unit, and has for its general object the provision of a table with a chair operated vbrake, the table being mounted upon small wheels or casters adapting it to be rolled from place to p1ace,.and l5 table with its back extending upwardly beyond one edge of the table top, having means operating to hold the brake elements released when the chair is in nested position and to retain said chair in nested position and against tilting, so

that the table may be freely trundled by pushing or pulling upon the back of the chair.

' Such a chair and table combination has many utilities, one for example being as a cafeteria unit in which the diner is assured an individual table and a seat, and wherein the customer or an attendant trundles the table with nested chair past the meal collating counter and then to the desired floor location, where, upon the removal of the chair, the brake elements automatically grip the floor, preventing slippage of the table.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wheeled table with floor brake as described, in which the spring extended brake elements are connected in pairs on opposite sides of the table sions interfitting saidrecesses for applying the-85 weight of the chair to the bell cranks for rocking them in a direction to release the brakes, and at the same time interlocking the chair with the table so that the latter can be drawn by pulling the chair.

lower portion of the table showing the lower portion of the chair in brake-releasing position; Figure 3 is a side section through the base of the chair showing the brake mechanism and appurtenant parts; I

. Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken along the line '4-'-4 of Figure 2, the intermediate portion being omitted; and

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Referring now in detail to the several figures, the numerals l and 2, respectively, represent the table and chair, which in Figure 1 are shown in nested, brake-releasing position.' The table I may be of any suitable construction. here shown as comprising a body portion 3 with top 4 legs 5 and a base 6. The base consists of front and side members but is open at the back so as to admit the chair to the space beneath the table; The table is provided at the four corners of its base with the anti-friction wheels or casters 1. The table is designed to be moved on said wheels and casters from one .floor position to another. It is quite essential, however, that when the table is inuse it shall not be freely shiftable, for it will too freely slip out of position when in use. The table is therefore provided adjacent the wheels or casters with the brake elements 8 which consist of plungers 9 having friction feet III of rubber or the like at their ends and being normally biased forcibly against the floor by the springs H which surroundthe plungers 9. The springs are in gompression between friction feet and the chair ase.

The chair 2 is the instrumentality by which the brakes are released. When the chair is in" place in nested position beneath the table, as shown in Figure 1, the brakes are released and 'gq the table can be trundled as desired, by either A further object of the invention is to pro-'''- pushing or pulling the chair. When the chair vide an interlocking brake operating chair and is removed from its nested relationship withthe brake equipped table, as described, in which the table. the brakes at once enga e the floor and forward end of the chair base engages detent t e e' s no longer freely movable.

means on the table to prevent tilting of the L chair with consequent disengagement of the chair from the table when it is attempted to draw the table by pulling the chair,

Other objects of the invention will appear as the following description of a preferred and practical embodiment thereof proceeds.

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of the following specification, and throughout the several figures of'which the same characters of reference have been employed to' designate identical parts:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chair and table unit embodying the principles of "the invention;

Figure 2 is a side sectional view through the i Referring to Figure 3, it will be observed that the plungers 9 are suitably mounted for vertical reciprocation and that at their upper ends they are operatively connected to the outer ends of the bell crank levers l2 and I3 pivoted at the intermediate points l4 and the inner ends of which come into juxtaposition and preferably having the inwardly extending end portions [5 best shown in Figure 5. The inner juxtaposed ends of the bell crank levers are exposed in a recess I6 formed in-the base of the table and at the bottom of the recess is an indentation I! in which the angular portions l5 of the bell crank levers are buried when the bell crank levers It isjust described, is duplicated on the opposite side of the table.

The chair is here shown as being of bent tubular metal construction. It comprises a back member [8 the bight of which is flattened to form the top rail I9 of the chair back, and the free ends 20 and 2| of which form the back legs of the chair. The seat support is another tubular member the bight of which is at the back of the chair seat and suitably joined as by welding, to the opposite sides of the back member. At the forward end of the seat the tubular member 22 bends vertically downward forming the front legs 23, and at the bottom ends of the front legs the tubular member bends horizontally rearwardly, forming guides 24 which slide against the side base members of base of the table. The tubular member 22 then bends upwardly and forwardly parallel to the horizontal member 24 but outside of the vertical plane of said horizontal member, forming the guide 25. The rear legs are secured as by welding to the bights 26 between the guides 24 and 25. The guides 25intermediate their length are provided with the downwardly convex deflections orcams 21 which fit in the recesses [6 formed in the chair base.

By reference to Figure 3 it will be seen that when the cams 21 are seated in the recesses Hi the weight of the chair will depress the lower ends of the bell crank levers l2 and I3 down into the indentation I1, lifting the outer ends of said bell crank levers and releasing the brakes.

It now becomes obvious that when the chair is slid beneath the table, to a position in which the cams 21 slide into the recesses I6, not only are the brakes automatically released by the weight of the chair, but upon pulling the chair or pushing the chair the table and chair will move as a unit, due to the interdigitation of the cams I! and the recesses I6.

However, as the preponderant weight of the chair is at the back, there would in the absence of preventive measures, be a tendency for the chair to tilt when pulled, thereby lifting the cams from the recesses and permitting the chair to leave the table. In avoidance of this I have provided on the inner face of the front base member of the table, the detents 21, under which the forwardly directed extremities 28 are retained when the chair is in nested position, preventing it being tilted up in front. When it is desired to remove the chair it is merely necessary to lift the back portion of the chair slightly, and draw it backward. This will permit the cams to ride out of the recesses l6 so that the chair may be readily removed.

Many practical uses of this chair and table combination, in addition to the one herein set forth by way of example, will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. These it is not thought necessary to enumerate.

While I have in the above disclosure described what I believe to be a preferred and practical embodiment of the invention, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the specific construction and arrangement of parts as shown and described is by way of example, that equivalent substitutes may be used in the place of structural elements as shown, without departing from the invention, and that the scope of the invention is to be determined by a liberal interpretation of the appended claims.

What Iclaim as my invention is: I 1. Brake equipped rolling table unit with chair gageable with said lifting means for actuating them.

2. Brake equipped rolling table unit with chair v operator, comprising a table having wheels at the corners of its base of support, brake elements earned by said table adjacent said wheels normally spring-pressed against the floor, bell cranks plvoted to said table having their outer ends operatively connected to said brake elements for lifting them against their spring bias, and a chair having its forward portion removably nested beneath said table, the latter having adetent engaging the front of the chair, said chair including means engaging the inner ends of said bell crank levers for lifting said brake elements.

3. Brake equipped rolling table unit with chair operator, comprising a wheel supported table having brake elements spring-pressed against the floor, said brake elements being arranged in pairs at opposite sides of the table base, leverage for each pair of brake elements for retracting them against spring pressure, and a chair nestable beneath said table having means engageable with sald leverage for operating the latter to retract said brake elements.

4. Brake equipped rolling table unit with chair operator, comprising a wheel supported table having side base members, brake elements carr1ed by said base members spring-pressed against the floor, levers connected tosaid brake elements for retracting them, portions of said levers being exposed in recesses in said side members and a chair nestable beneath said table having cam projections entering said recesses to prevent horizontal displacement of said chair in a front to back direction, said cam projections engaging the exposed portions of said levers, transmitting chair weight thereto for releasing said brake elements.

Y 5. Brake equipped rolling table unit with chair operator, as claimed in claim 4, the forward end a of said chair engaging detents on said table to prevent tilting of said chair when said unit is pulled by force applied to the back of said chair.

6. Brake equippedrolling table unit withchair operator, comprising a wheel supported table having side base members, a pair of brake elements carried by each of said base members, a bell crank lever for each brake element connected at its outer end to. said element, the bell cranks of each pair having their inner ends in juxtaposition in recesses in said base members,

and a chair nestable beneath said table having cam projections entering said recesses to prevent horizontal displacement of said chair in a front to back direction, said cam projections engaging .1 the juxtaposed ends of said levers, transmitting chair weight thereto forv releasing said brake elements. I

7 Brake equipped rollingtable unit with chair operator, as-claimed in claim 6, the forward end of said chair having means engaging detents on said table to prevent tilting of saidchair when said unitis pulled by force applied to the back of'saidchair. i

FLEM CORTIS HANNA. 

